The Celtics are trading veteran big man Tristan Thompson to the Hawks for guard Kris Dunn, Bruno Fernando and a 2023 second-rounder, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.
All of those players have expiring contracts. Thompson will make $9.7 million next season, while Dunn will secure just over $5 million, and Fernando will collect $1.8 million. The move pushes the Celtics another $3 million below the luxury-tax threshold, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. Dunn had a player option on his contract and opted in earlier this week, which made the trade viable.
After nine seasons in Cleveland, Thompson played in 54 regular-season games with the Celtics, including 43 starts. He averaged 7.6 PPG and 8.1 RPG. The Hawks may view him as a solid second-unit option behind Clint Capela.
Dunn’s lone season in Atlanta was a washout due to an ankle injury. He appeared in only four regular-season games but does give the Celtics another option for their backcourt rotation with Kemba Walker getting traded this offseason.
Fernando, an early second-round pick in 2019, appeared in 89 regular-season games during his first two years in the league.
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